USC Athletic Director Fr. Adriano Ocariza (fourth from left standing), Cebu City Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros (5th from left, standing), CCSC Chairman John Pages (sixth from left, standing) pose with sports stakeholders and swimmers during the re-opening of the CCSC pool on Friday, April 22, 2022. | Photo from Pages’ Facebook page.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Excitement was palpable and the mood upbeat, as swimmers took to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) swimming pool for the first time in two years when it reopened on Friday, April 22, 2022.
Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) Chairman John Pages led the re-opening of the pool on Friday along with Cebu City Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros and other sports stakeholders.
The reopening of the 10-lane, Olympic-size pool was capped with a blessing of the facility by Fr. Adriano Ocariza, the athletic director of the University of San Carlos (USC).
The entire CCSC facility was closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former CCSC manager Jundel Bontuyan told CDN Digital in 2021, that operating the pool would need more or less P60,000 a month for its maintenance which includes expenses for the chemical to be used in treating the water, manpower, electricity, and others.
Fast forward to 2022, swimmers can finally make a splash at Cebu City’s main venue for swimming competitions. In addition, it will add revenue to the CCSC which in turn will help its employees badly affected when the facility closed.
“The key parts of the opening are the health and safety guidelines to make sure everyone is safe while swimming. We limit 20 swimmers at a time, one hour per swimmer, first come, first serve basis,” said Pages.
“We’re doing this to make sure the pool won’t be overcrowded.”
With regards to the returning athletes and trainers who regularly use the pool, Pages said they will coordinate with them, so they can use the pool without swimming along with regular swimmers.
“We just have to comply with the numbers, we will ask the athletes and coaches regarding the times when the pool is not busy, so they can train there,” added Pages.
Pages said that the CCSC pool has already posted the health and safety guidelines that swimmers need to follow whenever they use the facility.
BREATHING LIFE BACK INTO SPORTS
Pages is very optimistic that the re-opening of the CCSC pool and its other sports facilities will breathe life back into Cebu’s once vibrant sports scene after two and half years.
After his succession of erstwhile CCSC Chairman Edward Hayco in February, Pages has initiated numerous programs for CCSC, particularly the registration of sports organizers, the creation of health and safety guidelines for sports in coordination with the EOC, and sports seminars to guide sports stakeholders in reviving their respective sports.
“Grabe ang interest sa public, it’s summer, its been 23 months since the pool has been closed, the interest is very big,” said Pages.
Aside from CCSC pool, the eight-court indoor badminton facility has also re-opened according to CCSC badminton coach Raymond Layon.
He also added that the zumba sessions at CCSC have already resumed as well.
Layon added that strict health and safety protocols are also implemented at all times when using the sports facility. /rcg
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